Tanya Foster offered a distant smile. “You see, Mr. Rex, we’re just not from the same world. You know it, and so do I…”


    “Give me some time.”


    Rex cut her off, his voice unexpectedly low.


    Tanya narrowed her eyes, trying to clear her head. “What did you say?”


    Inside the house.


    Elissa slipped off her shoes as she entered. Spotting the man across the room, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Thank you, for what you did for Tanya Foster.”


    Rowan’s lips curved into a half–smile, half–smirk. “Thank me? Isn’t this what you earned?”


    Elissa dropped her gaze in embarrassment, cheeks burning. She knew exactly what he meant–she’d paid for his help with her own body.


    Before she could wallow in her difort, Rowan set a stack of papers on the dining table. “Sign this.”


    Elissa approached and picked it up. The bold title at the top made her stomach twist: *Contract of Indenture.*


    She looked up at Rowan, who spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “I have to look out for my own interests, don’t I?”


    “…Of course.”


    She never forgot that he was, above all, a businessman,


    Rowan’s steady gaze watched her as she skimmed the contract, her eyes darting over the uses. Without bothering to read every line, she scrawled her name at the bottom.


    He slid an ink pad toward her. “Fingerprint, too.”


    Chapter


    He was meticulous, as always.


    Elissa pressed her thumb onto the pad, then onto the paper, mumbling under her breath, “Not like I can run away.”


    Rowan’s eyes glinted with irony. “Oh? And if one day you change your mind, run back to being hopelessly in love with someone else, how could I stop you?”


    She knew he was talking about three years ago, when she’d insisted on marrying Frank.


    She also knew there was no exining herself to Rowan–he would never understand that some people are willing to sacrifice their marriage just. for a little more freedom.


    In his mind, the only reason a woman would refuse to marry anyone else was out of deep, unwavering love.


    “That won’t happen again.”


    Elissa slid the contract back across the table. “Signed and fingerprinted. That’s all, right?”


    She hadn’t examined the terms too closely, but she could tell there weren’t many restrictions on her, No uses about not asking where Rowan went, or not telling anyone about their arrangement. Perhaps he thought those were just the basics of being a mistress–no need to put them in writing.


    As Elissa stood up to leave, Rowan’s brows arched in mild surprise. “Leaving already?”


    Her nerves tensed, her mind jumping to the wrong conclusion.


    Last night, all she could think about was begging him to help Tanyal Foster, so she hadn’t really felt self–conscious. But now, with her ears burning red, she stammered, “Tanya Foster is still waiting for me…”


    “What’s the rush?”


    Rowan rose to his feet, his steps deliberate as he closed the distance


    <b>2/3 </b>


    <b>09:20 </b>


    between them. The subtle scent of his cologne enveloped her, and Elissal found herself backing into the sofa, nearly copsing onto it in her panic. Before she could fall, Rowan caught her, his hand gripping her waist tightly.


    Just like that night in the car.


    Only now, there was ayer of fabric between them–but somehow, that didn’t make the moment any less charged.


    Holding her firmly, Rowan leaned in. Elissa’s heart pounded so loudly she was sure he could hear it. In a trembling voice, she tried to ward him off. “I–I’m still on my period…”


    Rowan’s lips curled into a knowing smile. “I haven’t forgotten.”


    He gazed down at her, his eyes tracing the delicate lines of her face–longshes fluttering with nerves, nose perfectly sculpted, lips soft and inviting. She looked so kissable.


    His hand caressed her waist, his voice low and persuasive. “Kiss me.”


    09 201